Justice Binta Nyako of an Abuja Federal High Court sent back pro-Biafra agitator, Nnamdi Kanu, back to the Department of State Services, DSS, custody despite his application to be moved to the Correctional Centre in Kuje.
This was as the judge rejected the application filed by Kanu’s lead Counsel, Ifeanyi Ejiofor, that the agitator be transferred from DSS custody.
Justice Nyako’s Thursday rejection made it the second time Kanu’s move to be transferred to Kuje Correctional Centre failed.
Her latest ruling is coming a few months after DAILY POST had reported that the Nigeria’s intelligence community frowned against the demand to move Kanu to Kuje Prison from DSS custody.
The intelligence community had warned that the motive to transfer Kanu may not be unconnected to a “planned” jail break by the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, and its militant wing, Eastern Security Network (ESN).
An officer had said a grand plan of a massive attack on the Kuje Prison had been uncovered.
The officer had said Kuje Prison may not be able to withstand a coordinated intrusion.
However, IPOB frowned at the decision of the judge to reject the application seeking Kanu’s transfer to Kuje prison.
The separatist group accused Justice Nyako of doing the bidding of Fulanis by keeping their leader in DSS custody.
IPOB’s spokesman, Emma Powerful, stressed that the ruling was a “foul play.”
He said with the ruling; there are suspicions that Kanu may not get the justice he deserves under Justice Nyako.
Powerful maintained that the judge’s decision was against the fundamental human right of the group leader.
Speaking with DAILY POST, Powerful said: “It is a foul play by the Fulani judge. Binta Nyako is perfecting Fulani bidding to jail Nnamdi Kanu, but that cannot happen. This is the second time our team of lawyers have demanded that Kanu be transferred to Kuje prison, but this woman rejected the demand.
“It is foul play, and we don’t think that Binta Nyako will deliver justice to our leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu; we are letting the world know that Kanu committed no crime by demanding freedom for his people.
“Boko Haram, Bandits and Fulani murderous herdsmen are doing what they feel will be good for their people. We don’t know why Binta Nyako refused to transfer our great leader to prison; this is purely against his fundamental rights.”
On his part, Aloy Ejimakor, Special counsel to Kanu, lamented the handling of Kanu’s case by the Nigerian Government.
Ejimakor lamented that the Nigerian Government prefers to have Kanu locked up while bandits, armed Fulani herders, and terrorists are ravaging the country.
He said transferring Kanu from DSS custody to Kuje Correctional Centre should not be the issue but granting him freedom.
Ejimakor told DAILY POST: “The judge cited security considerations as a reason for rejecting the application. She said security situations would not warrant Kanu to be transferred from DSS to Kuje prison.
“As a lawyer, such agitations are almost never refused, but in my time as Kanu’s counsel, I have witnessed a certain trajectory of Government’s policies towards suppressing political opinion leaders. But Kanu’s case is almost always treated differently from every other Nigerian.
“He shouldn’t be in detention but he was renditioned; he shouldn’t have been arrested. If you ask me, he shouldn’t be switching places with the terrorists, herdsmen militants, and bandits ravaging Northern Nigeria and the Southern part of the country. Kanu should be set free. So, when we look at issues like that and leave them aside to start over-flogging issues of transferring him from administrative detention to correctional facility, then it’s an act of chasing shadows.
“Even in 2016, Kanu shouldn’t have been arrested, and in my opinion as a lawyer, those breaching the law of the nation to the extent of being arrested, tried in court, convicted, sentenced and imprisoned are those that are left to roam free; they are negotiating ransom openly with governors in the North, brandishing weapons in the North, while weaponless and unarmed Kanu who is courageous enough to express his political opinion that the Government of the day has decided to suppress using some sort of punishment, is locked up. This is the issue and part of the agitation in the Southern part of the country. Now it’s no longer Southeast, South-South, but we are also talking about Southwest. When is this going to stop?”
